


Snippet

by belmanoir



Category: Kyle XY
Genre: Gen, Snippets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-02
Updated: 2012-04-02
Packaged: 2017-11-02 22:51:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/374248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/belmanoir/pseuds/belmanoir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jessi and Foss are a family now, but it's still a little new.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Snippet

**Author's Note:**

> For blackcurrant, who asked for more about Foss.

Tom enters the apartment silently, shifting the bag of groceries into the crook of his left arm so his right hand is free to go for his gun. There's someone else here--he can hear them moving around in one of the bedrooms. He takes up a position to the right of the hall doorway and calls, "Jessi, is that you?"

"Foss!" she exclaims happily, and his heart can stop pounding. He knew it had to be her--she lives here, after all--but after only two weeks, he still isn't used to coming home to a place with someone else in it.

"Dinner in half an hour," he tells her, and heads for the kitchen.

He's good with knives. He's always been good with knives, so he doesn't understand why cooking should be so different. His hands are suddenly clumsy and he almost cuts off the end of his thumb. Mushrooms are so small--how are you supposed to slice them without getting a finger?

This is stupid. Why is he trying to play house? Jessi is old enough to buy and prepare her own food. But he promised Jessi he'd be her family, and part of family is having someone to do things for you that you could really do for yourself. Gritting his teeth, he slices another mushroom. The pieces are uneven, of different widths and uneven angles.

Jessi's footsteps come down the hall, and she appears in the doorway. Her hair is braided away from her face, and there are splotches of yellow paint on her skin and clothes. "I'm almost done with my room," she says with satisfaction. Tom knows he'll have to touch up all the places where the yellow wall meets the white ceiling; Jessi doesn't have the patience to get it neat.

He gives her a brief smile. "You like the color on the wall?"

She nods. "It's a happy color." She looks at his hands. "That's not how you're supposed to hold the knife."

"What?"

She comes over and holds out her hand. "Here, give it to me."

Suppressing his instinctive reluctance, he hands her the knife and steps to the side, leaving her the space in front of the cutting board.

"You have to curl your fingers under like this and let the knife slide against your knuckles," she explains, demonstrating. The knife blurs up and down, _chop-chop-chop-chop_ , and the mushroom falls into five perfect pieces.

"When did you learn to cook?" he demands.

Jessi looks long-suffering. "Hillary had a 'Top Chef' party last week. Kyle made me go."

"You like Hillary, don't you?"

Jessi shrugs. "She's okay. Cooking is boring, though." She sets the knife back down, walks around to other side of counter, and leans on it, watching him. He picks up the knife and tries to hold the mushroom like she showed him. It feels unnatural.

"...I'm sure you'll get the hang of it." Jessi sounds deeply unconvinced, and he has to stifle a laugh.

"Why don't you put the water on for the spaghetti?"

"You're making spaghetti with mushrooms? That's my favorite."

"I know."

Her face lights up. "You remembered that?"

He keeps his eyes on the cutting board. "I have a good memory for details."


End file.
